DESCRIPTION (taken from application): This proposal is to support 10 undergraduate students with backgrounds in the physical sciences or engineering for summer research training in laboratories of Washington University faculty engaged in biomedical research. A salary of $4750 is requested for each student for a 10-week summer work experience. Participants will have the opportunity to be trained in and conduct research with biomedical researchers in active, well-funded laboratories. The mentors comprise more than a dozen, mostly senior, faculty who have extensive experience and proven track records mentoring undergraduates. In addition, almost all of the mentors' current or proposed projects have aspects that combine an aspect of physical science, engineering or computing to a biomedical research problem. Areas of research include cardiovascular mechanics, cell-cell interactions, protein folding, DNA sequence patterns, cell mechanics, oxidation of DNA by white cells, delivery of biological agents, regulation of stem cell differentiation, analysis of plant-pathogen interactions, structural aspects of enzymology, developing a coronary artery phantom for MR/imaging, mathematical modeling of electrical propagation in cardiac tissue, how proteins bind to DNA to regulate gene expression and the mechanics of cardiac looping. In addition to their research projects, students will spend an initial week getting an intensive introduction to biology, laboratory methods, biomedical ethics and laboratory safety. They will also participate in weekly faculty seminars, organize and run their own journal club, present their findings at a wrap-up symposium and attend similar presentations of other on-campus summer students. A few social activities will also be organized. The overall goal is to provide a meaningful, in-depth exposure to biomedical research for students whose backgrounds or majors might not otherwise provide such opportunities.